The Best 1080p 144Hz Gaming Monitor

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Updated: August 2018

Monitors with 144Hz refresh rates aren’t new, but they’re more popular than ever because, quite frankly, they are pretty awesome. Plus we’re just now getting midrange GPUs capable of 100+ FPS on high settings at 100p. Back in the ancient days of 2015 that just wasn’t possible unless you dropped some major coin, so as performance has increased monitor manufacturers have responded with corresponding features such as ultra-high refresh rates. So if you’re in the market for a new display, be sure to check out our list of the best 1080p 144Hz Gaming Monitors.

“What’s the big deal,” you ask? Instead of updating a screen a measly 60 times a second like most monitors (60Hz), a 144Hz monitor refreshes the screen 144 times every second, which makes action appear smoother and helps eliminate motion blur. If you have enough ponies under the hood, or the stomach to, sniff, lower your game’s settings if you’re rocking an older GPU, a 144Hz monitor will permanently change your perception of what smooth gameplay looks and feels like, and you’ll never be able to go back to 60Hz.

We recently tested five monitors to find the best 1080p 144Hz gaming monitor, and based on our testing there is a clear winner:

Overall Best 1080p 144Hz Gaming Monitor

We originally reviewed the LG 24GM77-B (Read our review), and now the company has tweaked it a bit and added FreeSync, making it an even better deal. It’s still our recommendation because it’s the full package, and has all the features we want in a monitor and then some. The other monitors we tested all had one or two small flaws ranging from lack of adjustability to no USB ports (or only older 2.0 ports), and poor panel performance, but the LG 24GM79G -B excels in all these areas.

It’s fully adjustable, has excellent overall performance, and a smattering of gaming-specific features that help elevate it above the monitor world’s riff raff. We particularly liked its joystick-activated OSD, its input lag reducing Dynamic Action Sync, and its Black Stabilizer for lightening dark scenes. And as we mentioned above, it’s even better now thanks to the addition of FreeSync. See it at Walmart with free 2-day shipping.

Another Affordable 144Hz Gaming Monitor

The entry-level Acer monitor (Read our review) is a truly affordable way to get in on the 144Hz action at around $200. That low price does come at a cost however, as it offers no adjustability aside from tilting the screen forward or back, and it also lacks USB ports as well. However, it gets the job done and works well, so if you’re just looking for an affordable high-refresh rate monitor, and you have a phone book to set it on, the Acer GN246HL is the most affordable option out there (as far as we know). See it at Walmart with free 2-day shipping.

Josh Norem is IGN’s Executive Editor for Tech & Commerce. He’s built more PCs than he can even remember, and can’t wait until we can all run our 4k monitors at 144Hz with an affordable GPU.